Friday, October 18, 2013

Week 7 Starters & Benchwarmers

Wondering whether or not to
start Jamaal Charles and Dez Bryant, or to bench Case Keenum and Kenny
Britt? The network bozos specialize in that kind of advice. If you’re looking
for help with your real starting lineup conundrums,
read on.

Here are my picks to roll, and
get rolled, in Week 7 of the 2013 season.

Watch ‘em roll

Cam Newton, QB,
Panthers vs. Rams. I called him the most
frustrating QB in Fantasyland earlier this week, and he’ll probably prove me
right again on Sunday. But following his
monster outing against the Vikings, he should – mind you, should – take advantage of another tasty matchup with the Rams’
subpar pass defense.

Brandon Jacobs,
RB, Giants vs. Vikings. You’re not
chasing last week’s stats when Jacobs’ next matchup is against the defense that
surrenders the most fantasy points to opposing rushers. With virtually no competition for carries in
New York’s backfield (no, Peyton Hillis doesn’t count), the not-quite-finished-yet
grinder should have his second consecutive stellar outing. Jacobs’ tweaked hamstring is not expected to
limit him.

Fred Jackson, RB,
Bills at Dolphins. Miami has been
especially accommodating to multi-purpose backs like Jackson. Meanwhile, neither C.J. Spiller nor Stevie
Johnson is 100 percent, and E.J. Manuel is still out of action. Jackson will have ample opportunities to
shine in Miami.

Justin Blackmon,
WR, Jaguars vs. Chargers. As he showed
last week, Blackmon doesn’t need to score to deliver big-time fantasy points. Though nursing minor groin and hamstring
ailments, nothing is expected to limit him against the vulnerable San Diego
pass defense. Cecil Shorts will be a
game-time decision due to his shoulder injury, but Blackmon is clearly the
apple of Chad Henne’s eye.

Keenan Allen, WR,
Chargers at Jaguars. Not only has Allen emerged
as Philip Rivers’ go-to receiver, but the rookie is also getting the lion’s
share of red zone targets. Look for his
third consecutive 100-yard game with at least one scoring celebration.

Matt Ryan, QB,
Falcons vs. Buccaneers. When this season began, I never could have envisioned
intentionally starting Jay Cutler over a healthy Ryan in Week 7 (or any week).
But when your weapons are limited to Tony Gonzalez (who may be quadruple
covered), Harry “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t” Douglas and a couple of green
wideouts with five catches between them, even a favorable matchup looks
bad. Sadly, the biggest move the Falcons
made over the bye week was picking up free agent WR Brian Robiskie, whom I
believe they found on Craigslist.

Stevan Ridley, RB,
Patriots at Jets. It was nice to see him
carrying the load again last week (unless you were banking on LeGarrette
Blount). Ridley has, for now, reclaimed
the lead role in New England’s backfield.
But before you trust him as your starter, note that he’ll be facing an
elite Jets run defense that has limited opposing rushers to a paltry 64 rushing
yards per game, and only three rushing TDs.

Trent Richardson,
RB, Colts vs. Broncos. Sure, Maurice
Jones-Drew got into the end zone in Denver last week. So it’s certainly possible the struggling
Richardson will get a cheap goal-line plunge as well. But more likely, the Colts will abandon the
run early, just like the Broncos’ other opponents; and Richardson will be
marginalized. That’s why Denver’s rush
defense leads the league despite missing Von Miller, who returns Sunday with a vengeance.

Torrey Smith, WR, Ravens
at Steelers. It’s no coincidence that Smith totaled just four receptions for 40
yards, on a healthy 15 targets, in his two games against the Steelers last
year. With Ike Taylor locked in on Smith
again, it could be another long day for the Ravens’ leading receiver. Pittsburgh is playing stout pass defense this
year, while Joe Flacco has been mostly mediocre.

Andre Johnson, WR,
Texans at Chiefs. With practice squader Case
Keenum making his NFL debut, Johnson will be hamstrung again by both his own
team and his opponents. Kansas City
sports one of the league’s stingiest pass defenses, having allowed just five
passing scores to date. If you have
another viable option, sit Johnson.

Terrance Williams, WR, Cowboys at
Eagles. Dallas’ running game will likely
ground to a halt with Joseph Randle in the lead role; so look for Tony Romo to
carry his team against one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses. With Dez Bryant drawing double coverage,
Williams should continue to out-perform the incredible, shrinking Miles Austin.

DON’T BE THE BONEHEAD
WHO…lets deadweight languish on your roster. There’s nothing intimidating about Julio
Jones when he’s on injured reserve; and yet he’s still owned in more than 60
percent of fantasy leagues. (Very few of
those are keeper leagues.) Randall Cobb
isn’t eligible to return until Week 15, which is an awfully long time to hold
onto him, unless your league allows IR positions.

Welcome home, Fools!

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About the Chief Fool

Ladd Biro was named 2010 "Football Writer of the Year" by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association -- the most prestigious recognition in the biz. In 2011, he won again -- the only two-time winner in the FSWA's history. He also won for "Best Humor Column of 2011," across all sports. He was a finalist for the FFWOY Award again in 2013 and 2014, but someone obviously paid off the judges to prevent the threepeat. Ladd's nationally syndicated columns have appeared in more than 20 publications -- including the Dallas Morning News, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times and Sporting News magazine -- since 2003. Since 2009, all his written fantasy content can be found on the Fantasy Fools blog.